Who Rihanna Will Play In Bates Motel

The A&E creep-fest Bates Motel has, clearly, been leading up to some pretty significant things. The series is, after all, working its way toward the events of the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. Well, Season 5 of the hit drama is shaping up to be a doozy, with pop superstar Rihanna showing up during the show's final season. And, we just found out what character the singer will be bringing to life. Rihanna will be playing the classic Psycho character of Marion Crane. Wait, let me say that again in your good ear: Marion Crane is finally coming to Bates Motel, and Rihanna is playing her.

Wow. Who could have predicted this casting information? I know it never would have occurred to me. The show announced the cool casting today during the Bates Motel panel at San Diego Comic Con. According to executive producers Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse, while this casting might be a surprise for fans, it's actually a match made in scary motel heaven. They noted during the panel that their hope for the show's version of Marion Crane would be very "contemporary" and redefine the role "in a meaningful and exciting new way." Also, Rihanna is a fan of Bates Motel, and when word got back to producers they thought she would be a perfect fit for Marion. A video from the singer was shown during today's panel so that the news would really be brought home for those in attendance. Take a look.

After we get a look at Rihanna's bedroom ceiling, which may have looked clumsy but was probably a clever ploy to keep the audience in suspense, we find out that the "bad bitch" herself is signing into Bates Motel for the new season. Now, we heard a couple of months ago that the show was finally going to be getting its most famous guest in Season 5. Carlton Cuse promised that Marion would indeed be around for a big moment in the season, and also revealed that her part would allow us to spend some time with the character over multiple episodes next season. In the film, Marion is a real estate secretary who's embezzled money from her company so that she and her debt-ridden boyfriend can finally get married. Cuse also noted that they are looking forward to putting their own spin on events from the film, so it'll be interesting to see how Marion's story plays out during the season.

I can already tell that some of you are going to be nervous about Rihanna taking on this iconic role, but, honestly, I think it will work out quite well. Rihanna has branched out into acting the past few years, with appearances in Battleship, This Is The End, Annie and voice work in the animated film Home. She's also filmed a role in Luc Besson's upcoming film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, where she plays an alien stripper. Look, Rihanna is a chameleon, I have no doubt that she will do whatever it takes to bring this version of Marion to life exactly how the producers want.

We should all just sit back and prepare to enjoy the shower-stabbing hell out of Bates Motel Season 5, because it's promising to be quite a ride. Take a look at our summer and fall premiere schedules to see what you can watch in the meantime.